1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to launching a boat from a trailer and more specifically to a boat release apparatus for guiding a boat once it has been released into the water from a trailer.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It appears that there are no stand alone devices on the market which may be used to guide a boat once it has been released into water from a trailer. There are at least two trailers with a launching device included as an integral part of the trailer such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,433 to Starkey and U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,564 to Koch. However, these two trailers do allow the user to manipulate the position of the boat once it is released from the trailer.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in the art for a boat release apparatus which may be used to guide a boat during launching and which may be used to pull the boat back on to a trailer.
The present invention provides a boat release apparatus which may be used to guide a boat during launch and retrieval. The boat release apparatus preferably includes a tube body, an actuation rod, and a hook assembly. An outer perimeter of the actuation rod is sized to be received by an inside perimeter of the tube body. The hook assembly is pivotally attached to one end of the tube body. The hook assembly includes a hook body, a pivot hook, and a release hook. The pivot hook is pivotally attached to one end of the hook body. The release hook is pivotally attached to the other end of the hook body. Preferably, one end of a release cable is attached to one end of the actuation rod and the other end of the release cable is attached to the release hook. A handle is preferably attached on the other end of the actuation rod. Pulling the handle will cause the release cable to retract the release hook. However, the length of the release cable may be increased such that it is long enough to be attached directly to the handle, thus eliminating the need for the actuation rod.
The boat release apparatus is preferably used in the following manner. When launching a boat from a trailer, the pivot hook is attached to an eye-bolt on the boat and the release hook is attached to a crank hook at the end of a crank line. The pivot and release hooks will stay attached to the crank hook and the eye-bolt, respectively as the boat is launched. When the boat has been launched a sufficient distance, the release hook is actuated to release thereof from the crank hook. The boat may now be manipulated with the boat release apparatus such that it may be landed on shore. A single person may unload the boat off the trailer and bring it back to shore without wading in water. The boat release apparatus may also be used to aid in putting the boat back on the trailer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a boat release apparatus which allows a single user to launch a boat from a trailer.
Finally, it is another object of the present invention to provide a boat release apparatus which enables a boat to be launched from a trailer without the launcher having to wade in water.
These and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification.